Luca leapfrogs Noah to top Baby Names chart

Luca was Scotland’s top name for baby boys for the first time in 2023, according to new figures released by National Records of Scotland (NRS). 

Luca climbed four places to the top spot with 344 baby boys given the name. Last year’s most popular name, Noah, is pushed into second place, while Leo remains third.

Jack has dropped out of the top three names for boys for the first time since 1996, falling to fourth place.

Isla returns to the top slot for the first time since 2020, overtaking Olivia, the most popular name for girls in recent years. Freya is still the third most popular girls’ name. 

NRS Statistician Phillipa Haxton said:

“National Records of Scotland is pleased to welcome all of Scotland’s bundles of joy in 2023. 

“There are more names in use today than there were in previous generations.

“The number of different names for boys reached a new all-time high in 2023, as did the number of unique names given to only one child in the year. 

“The same pattern was observed for girls’ names, and the variety of names given to girls is still greater than for boys.” 

Some of the names rising in use are associated with movies. Luca is now Scotland’s top name for baby boys, rising from 43rd in the charts before the release of the 2021 Pixar movie of the same name. Meanwhile the names of actors in the summer blockbuster movies Oppenheimer and Barbie further increased in popularity, with Cillian up 24 to 99th in the list and Margot up 57 places to 106th. 

New entrants in the top 100 names include Oakley, which rose 64 places to 87th and Mabel, which leapt 102 places to joint 93rd. 

Choices for baby names differ across Scotland’s 32 local authorities. Luca was top in seven areas and Isla in eight. Luca and Isla were top in Moray and North Ayrshire but Luca shared the top spot for boys with several names. 

Background

National Records of Scotland (NRS) is responsible for producing statistics on Scotland’s population. 

The full publication Babies’ First Names 2023 including tables with local authority breakdowns and our interactive chart can be viewed online.

For media enquiries please contact Sheena Maguire at [email protected]